Ian Borg finds cushy job for MEP’s wife, ‘borrows’ her from TM for foreign office

One of the first things Foreign Minister Ian Borg did when he took office at Palazzo Parisio last April was to arrange a cushy job for the wife of Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba.

Through an unorthodox ‘loan agreement’ with Transport Malta, which, until a few days earlier, had been under Borg’s remit as transport minister, the newly-appointed foreign minister arranged for Sarah Agius Saliba to join the ministerial staff at his new posting.

Instead of going through normal channels that allow ministers to employ a certain number of persons of trust within their private secretariats, Borg arranged matters in such a way as for Agius Saliba to be ‘loaned’ to his ministry while remaining on the transport agency’s books.

That meant she retained her right to promotion within the agency while working at, and receiving a higher remuneration from, the foreign office. She has also retained the right to return to her Transport Malta managerial position if Borg is removed from office or fails to be re-elected.

Sarah Agius had been elected mayor of Zebbug – one of Ian Borg’s key constituencies – in 2015, when she ousted long-time serving Labour stalwart Alfred Grixti. She remained in office until  2019, and was employed by the minister as a manager at Transport Malta.

According to the loan agreement seen by The Shift, TM CEO Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi consented to release Agius Saliba from her contract at the transport agency to work for Borg at the foreign ministry after a Cabinet reshuffle.

Through the arrangement, the MEP’s wife had more flexible hours and better take-home pay. She was assigned relatively light duties as secretary to a board of politically appointed policy consultants and assisting the minister when required, including on trips overseas.

Her latest trip was to New York, where the minister attended the United Nations General Assembly. Borg’s personal photographer, Ray Attard, also accompanied the minister on the trip.

In addition to her salary of €36,200 a year, the Labour MEP’s wife has been given a raft of allowances that elevate her take-home pay to almost €50,000 a year.

These include thousands of euros a year in allowances for car use, communications, a performance bonus and a €3,000-a-year ‘responsibility allowance’, which is normally given to officers who need to perform duties at odd hours.